DIY: Gray Sweater Into Legwarmers!

I have been seeing these cute little leg warmer things all over the place lately. I think they're the cutest things and as much as I hate to admit it, I want a pair (or five). But the ones I've seen are a little more than I'd want to spend. I'd just have to make due with something I already owned, so I grabbed this sweater out of my closet:



Doesn't my winter outfit go well with my summer flip flops?! (-;

I bought this gray sweater a few months ago for, you guessed it, $0.50. I tried it on in the store to make sure it had a nice fit, which it did. Not to toot my own horn, but I look pretty good in this before picture (for once! Hahaha). The reason I chose it for my project is not due to the fit, it's due to the fabric. It's just a tad itchy and after wearing it for 15 minutes, it feels like sandpaper against my skin. Plus, after I washed it once, it got a little pilly. Not cool, otherwise awesome sweater!

So, I got to hacking...

I only needed the sleeves for this project, so I cut them off.

I cut the sleeves pretty high up the arm, then I measured to make sure they were the same length before I cut them evenly across the top.

This was the easiest way to pin the raw edges.

I was a little worried that the ends would fray, so I made sure to fold the raw edge over twice in order to hem it.

Then I sewed the edge shut. I had to take a piece off my sewing machine in order to do so.

This is when I realized that this is probably the easiest upcycle that I've done. Anyone with an ill-fitting, stained, or otherwise unwearable sweater can just cut the sleeves off, sew the edges down, and have some leg warmers. The best part is that you don't even need a sewing machine to do this. You don't even need to measure anything either. Who cares if they're not the same length, you can adjust them once they're on. Easy peasy!

This picture reminds me that I need to repaint my toenails!! They're still orange from Halloween!

Since my original sweater fit pretty well to start, I ended up with really tight fitting (and short) legwarmer thingies. I'm actually glad they fit like this. That means I won't have to keep pulling them up. If I'd had a baggier sleeved sweater, I would've fitted them around my leg, then pinned/sewed them until they were roughly this tight.

Here's what they look like with my boots on.

They fit just above the knee. This will save me from investing in those super trendy over-the-knee boots.

My whole look.

I can't wait to make a few more pairs. I have an ugly white sweater that would be much more useful as legwarmers. And maybe next time, I'll add some extra flair with some buttons or something!

Milla likes her moments in the spotlight!

 

Ohh.. Is anyone wondering what's going to happen with the rest of the sweater? Me, too. I'll definitely save it for a future project, but what that project is, I have no idea!!